Never Free

 is a quest in Bastard's Wound. It is unavailable if you asked Barik to remain in his armor forever during The Weight of Aegis.

Synopsis
With the recent revelation that you are now considered an Archon, more options are available to you and Barik for removing Barik from his armor. Discuss these new possibilities with him and determine how to proceed.

Ashe's Aegis keeps Barik fused into his armor. With the Overlord's decree demanding you face Graven Ashe anyway, killing him seems the most efficient way to free Barik of his armor.

Walkthrough

 * The quest begins automatically in Act III, when you are proclaimed Archon. In order to remove the effect the Aegis has on Barik, you need to find a way to deal with Ashe.
 * The simplest way is, of course, to kill Ashe (breaking Barik's mind in the process). This is the only possible route in non-Disfavored playthroughs. Otherwise, you can convince Ashe to bend the knee and order him to remove the Aegis from ol' Barikonen.
 * Return to the smith (Lohara or Lycentia) and talk to them. The ward's removal solves one problem, but in order to remove Barik from his prison, you need royal blood, due to the Edict that created it and the ritual that will be used (normally for peeling armor from dead Disfavored, ugh).
 * Freeing Barik from his armor without killing him will require an excessive amount of royal blood. Fortunately, the tears of the colossal stone queen at Edgering Ruins may suffice. To get the goods, you need to get to the other side of the keep (near the bowl) and then use Athletics 63 to leap the gap or use Barik to toss you or make a bridge.
 * Once you've collected the tears of royal blood from the statue at Edgering Ruins, you need to return them to the smith so that she may free Barik.
 * The procedure will be painful and agonizing. You can help Barik through with Subterfuge 71 (ordering him to bear it), Athletics 61 (shaming him into making it through), using Control Life 61 to reduce his wounds, or doing nothing. Lawbreaker Fatebinders can give him some liquor to bear the strain.
 * Once you have finally separated Barik from his armor, you get to choose between taking the scrap remains of his armor (worth 10 iron ingots + 15 bronze ingots) or accepting the weapon forged from the sample of alloy from Stalwart (Edict's Mallet by Lohara, Edict's Crescent by Lycentia). You may also demand both the weapon and armor scraps (If threatening Lohara). Then you can speak with Barik at the Mountain Spire to find out how he is adjusting to his life as a free man.
 * After you extricate Barik from Graven Ashe's Aegis and armor, his response to this hard-won freedom remains complicated. But it's worth it... Right?